Who Are You?
by A. R. Chwa
Summary: Lenni goes to London to visit Sally's kids, Si and Elizabeth, and also Sam and Becky Wentwood. But someone else is there who she wasn't expecting to see. Nor was she expecting him to not remember her at all.
1. Chapter 1

WHO ARE YOU? – PART ONE

On a sunny morning in London, Lenni Frazier was eating breakfast with her new siblings, Si and Elizabeth Lewis. Her father had just married their mother, so they were spending the summer together before Lenni had to return to New York for school.

"Your mom doesn't have anything planned for today," Lenni said. "I was hoping to look up Sam and Becky Wentwood."

"Who are they?" asked Elizabeth, tossing her blond pony-tail.

"My friend Jamal met them when he came here for vacation," Lenni said. "Their parents run a Bed and Breakfast."

"I know who Becky is," Si shrugged. "She's in my year at school."

"You want to come with us?" Elizabeth asked.

"Nah," said Si. "I'm meeting some of the guys at the skate park."

"Any of the cute ones?" asked Elizabeth.

"They're too old for you."

Lenni rolled her eyes as the two of them bickered back and forth for a few minutes, almost wishing she was an only child again. Si finally left for the skate park and Elizabeth took out her new camera.

"We'll do a picture tour," she said. "You'll be a fantastic model with all your funky clothes."

"If you insist," Lenni laughed. "I did get a new hat. Let's go meet Sam and Becky."

The two of them went to the Camden Bed and Breakfast. Lenni and Elizabeth met Becky, who was eager to join them for a modeling tour of London.

"Jamal said I should meet Sam too," Lenni said.

"It'll have to be later," Becky told her. "He went to play football again."

"I know what you mean," said Elizabeth. "_My_ brother went to the skate park."

The three girls rolled their eyes and then toured London, Becky and Lenni posing for Elizabeth's new camera. They finally went to the skate park, where Elizabeth pointed out a tall young man on a skateboard.

"There's Si," she said. "He and his friends come here to show off."

"They got some wicked moves," Becky said. "And they're cute too."

"Oh _really_?" Lenni asked. "Does Jamal have reason to be jealous?"

Becky blushed a bit as Elizabeth cocked her head.

"You mean that fellow you introduced me to at the wedding?" Elizabeth asked.

"He's the one Becky met before," Lenni grinned. "Been writing to her ever since."

Elizabeth giggled but Becky just shook her head.

"Haven't _you_ ever had a pen-pal before?"

Lenni gave a sigh.

"I used to," she sighed. "But he stopped writing back."

"What happened?" asked Elizabeth.

"Maybe he got another girlfriend," Becky said.

"Don't be silly," Lenni frowned. "The guy _also_ wrote to Hector…who _also_ stopped getting letters at the same time I did."

"Hector?" asked Elizabeth. "That cute little guy from Puerto Rico?"

Lenni almost rolled her eyes, as Elizabeth was clearly obsessed with boys.

"That's him," Lenni said. "It's been over six months since we've heard from him. Hector thinks he was abducted by aliens."

Becky laughed as Elizabeth sat down to go through the pictures. Lenni looked up and nudged Becky, as a trail of light was forming letters above them.

_Catch a Wave – Team Sydney_

"Huh?" Lenni wondered.

"Oh right," Becky said. "You see Ghostwriter too, don't you?"

"Yes," Lenni whispered. "But Liz doesn't. I wonder what he's writing that for…"

The letters disappeared and they saw the glowing ball fly over to the young men skateboarding. Lenni saw that one of them had the same words on his t-shirt.

"Hey," Becky said. "That's where he got that from."

"But…why?" Lenni asked.

Becky shrugged as Elizabeth stood up, trying to see what they were looking at.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Um…who's that guy talking to your brother?" Becky asked. "The one wearing the bandanna."

Elizabeth saw who they were looking at and nodded.

"They call him Yankee."

"Yankee?" asked Lenni.

"Must be American," said Becky.

"Oh no," said Elizabeth. "Si says he's from Australia."

Lenni did a double-take as Becky made a face.

"Really?" asked Becky. "Why would he call him Yankee…if he's from Australia? Isn't that some team from New York?"

Lenni let out a gasp and looked at the young man again. He was holding the skateboard and talking to Si, the orange bandanna covering half of his hair, although long dark bangs were sticking out of it.

"No," she said. "It…it couldn't be…"

"What?" asked Becky.

Lenni shook her head and ran down to them. Si turned to her, as did his companion.

"Rob?" Lenni asked. "Is that you?"

The young man in the bandanna blinked.

"How did you know my name?"

This time Lenni blinked. He looked exactly like she remembered, but had a vacant look on his face as he looked at her.

"Rob," she said. "It…it _is_ you right? Rob Baker?"

"Yeah," he said. "Um…do I know you?"

Lenni blinked, as she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Standing in front of her was Rob Baker, who had been one of her best friends, and who used to write beautiful letters to her. Yet he was staring at her as if he didn't know her at all and speaking with a strange accent.

"Of course you know me," Lenni said. "It's Lenni…one of your friends from New York. Don't you remember?"

Rob raised his eyebrows and looked at Si.

"You know this girl?"

"She's my step-sister from New York," Si said, giving him a look. "But I think the question is, do _you_ know her?"

Lenni looked at Rob hopefully but he shook his head.

"I don't know anyone anymore," he said.

"But…but why?" Lenni asked. "How can you not know me?"

"Because I don't remember anything from before the accident!"

Lenni took a step back as Rob stepped away and got on his board.

"Rob wait!"

"Let him go," Si said, holding her back.

Lenni panted as she watched her old friend skate away. She wanted to cry. This was worse than him moving away before.

"What happened to him?" she whimpered. "Why doesn't he remember me?"

"No idea," Si said, giving a shrug. "But I think you found a clue."

Lenni looked at her brother with great surprise.

"I did?"

"Yeah," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Yankee's never mentioned an accident before."


	2. Chapter 2

WHO ARE YOU? – PART TWO

Lenni was still watching Rob as the other two girls joined her and Si.

"Oh hi Becky," he said.

"Hi," Becky said. "So…what's going on? Was that your friend, Lenni?"

"Well…it _looks_ like him," she said. "But he doesn't recognize me. And what accident is he talking about?"

She looked at Si, who shrugged.

"No idea," he said. "Yankee's kind of weird. Never talks about himself…and runs off to appointments all the time."

"Appointments?" asked Elizabeth.

"Right," said Si. "I mean…no one needs the dentist every single day. And he's _far_ too good of a skater to need a doctor."

Lenni frowned and shoved her fist into her palm.

"We need to make a casebook," she said. "We have to get to the bottom of this."

"Ooooh yes," said Becky. "Jamal showed us how to do that to solve a mystery. Let's go to my place."

They all went to the Bed and Breakfast and Becky started a casebook.

"Okay," Lenni said. "So…what do we know so far?"

"Yankee is nuts," Si said.

"Be serious," said Elizabeth.

"But he is," Si said, his arms out. "I didn't even know his real name was Bob."

"_Rob_," Lenni said, frowning. "Robert Alexander Baker…but usually just Rob. Why the blazes is he going by _Yankee_?"

"That's our first clue," Becky said, writing it down.

"Well whoever he is," Si said, crossing his arms, "he also runs off to some kind of appointment every day."

"And he said something about an accident," Lenni said.

Becky wrote this down as Elizabeth snapped her fingers.

"That might be connected to whatever kind of appointment he's going to," she said.

"Do you know anything else about…Yankee?" Lenni asked Si. "Like where he lives or anything?"

"No," Si shrugged. "But some of the others might. I'll go ask them."

"Can I come with you?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh fine," Si said. "You probably want to flirt with Brian again."

As they left, Lenni turned to Becky.

"Ghostwriter must have wanted us to find Rob," she said.

"Really?" asked Becky. "Could he see him too?"

"Well he did _before_," Lenni said, taking the pen.

Lenni wrote in the casebook.

_Can Rob still see you?_

The letters moved and Lenni groaned.

_Yes. But he won't write back. I want to know why!_

Lenni nodded and wrote back to him.

_I do too! He doesn't remember me either!_

The girls then looked up as Becky's brother Sam came in. Lenni introduced herself and they filled him in on what was going on.

"So…hold on," Sam said. "You say Yankee is a friend of yours from New York who can see Ghostwriter?"

"Yes," Lenni said. "But he doesn't recognize me…and won't write to Ghostwriter either."

"Do you know Yankee at all?" Becky asked.

"Sure," said Sam. "He comes to play football sometimes…and his dad comes to watch. Some old army guy."

Lenni gasped as she jumped up.

"The colonel!" she said. "I should find _him_. He would know what happened!"

"Colonel?" asked Becky.

"Rob's dad was a colonel in the air force," Lenni said. "He worked at the VA when they lived in New York."

Lenni then thought of something and turned back to them.

"Is there a VA office in London?" Lenni asked.

"What's that?" asked Sam.

"The Veteran's Administration," Lenni said. "They help people who served in the U.S. Military."

"This isn't the U.S. though," Becky said. "But…I suppose we can check the listings."

They looked through the phone book but didn't find anything. Lenni sighed and shook her head.

"Shoot," she said. "Now what?"

"Well…if you can't find his father…what about his mother?" Becky asked.

"Oh," said Lenni. "Well…I never met his mother. But he did talk about her in his letters. She was a zoologist."

"A what?" asked Sam.

"A zoologist," said Lenni. "She studied different kinds of animals…and finished school at NYU while they were living in Brooklyn. They moved to Australia because she got a job there working with endangered birds."

"So…maybe she works at the zoo!" Becky said.

"Yeah," said Sam. "If we go to the zoo, maybe we can find her!"

"I want to check first," Lenni said, writing in the casebook.

_Is there a Mrs. Baker that works at the London Zoo?_

Ghostwriter read the message and zipped away. He then came back.

_Eileen Baker_

_Assistant Zookeeper_

_Australia Exhibit_

* * *

That afternoon, Becky and Sam had to stay home and help with the chores, so Lenni met up with Si and Elizabeth for a trip to the zoo. On the way to the Australia exhibit, Si told them what he found out from his other friends.

"They don't know much about Yankee either," he said. "Brian says he moved in across the street from him about four months ago from Australia. Why he has that accent."

"But…Rob has a New York accent," Lenni said. "His parents are from there…although Rob grew up all over the place."

"I guess he picked it up Australia," Elizabeth said.

"But…his letters always talked about his friends making _fun_ of his accent," Lenni said. "Why would they have teased him about it…if he was talking like they do?"

"How long did he live there?" Si asked.

"Well…it's been three or four years," she said. "So maybe he _did_ pick up the accent. Did you find out anything else?"

"Charlie said Yankee used to wear a pen around his neck," said Elizabeth.

"You mean…like this one?" Lenni asked.

Lenni had a pen around her own neck and Elizabeth cocked her head.

"No," she said. "Not a _real_ pen. Charlie said it was a silver one."

"Oh like this one," Lenni said, pulling out a silver chain.

"Yeah," said Si. "Yankee _does_ wear something like that."

"Well it was Jamal that gave one to each of us when we finished eighth grade," Lenni said. "He sent one to Rob too."

"Okay," said Si. "So…why are we going to the zoo?"

"I'm guessing Rob's mother works here," she said. "His dad worked for the VA, but they don't have an office in London."

"Well that's an American thing," said Si.

"How did you find out his mother works here though?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well…it's a guess really," Lenni said. "She was studying zoology in New York…and got a job at a wildlife preserve in Australia. I think she might work at the Australian exhibit here."

They went to the exhibit, where they saw koalas, kangaroos and other Australian animals. Lenni spotted a woman with black hair with a palm cockatoo on her shoulder. Her name badge lit up and Lenni saw her name was Eileen Baker.

"That must be her," she said.

They went over to the zookeeper, who was feeding nuts to the bird and talking to a group of younger children.

"Palm Cockatoos are very rare now," she was saying. "This one was sent here from New York for a special breeding program."

"Does he have a name?" asked a little girl.

"The Fish and Wildlife people called him Calypso," the zookeeper smiled. "A girl in New York found him and named him that."

"Hey," Lenni said. "That's _Gaby's_ bird."

"Say Gaby," the bird said.

The children laughed and the woman smiled.

"Gaby was the girl who found him," she said. "She taught him to say her name before she had to turn him in to Fish and Wildlife."

"Does he say anything else?" asked a boy.

"No worries," the bird said. "Back off booger bat!"

Lenni gasped as the kids roared and the woman sighed.

"My _son_ taught him that one," she said.

"Booger bat?" asked Si.

"Rob would say that to _Calvin_," Lenni said. "But…why would he remember Calvin…and not me?"

The woman smiled as the children moved on to another exhibit. Lenni and the others went over to her and looked at the bird.

"I never thought I'd see_ you_ again, Calypso," Lenni said.

"Oh?" the woman asked. "You've met him before?"

"Yes," Lenni said. "I'm from Brooklyn…and Gaby is a friend of mine. I remember when she found him."

"Say Gaby."

"Oh!" the woman said. "But…if you know Gaby…"

"Right," Lenni sighed. "I know Rob too. I saw him this morning…but…"

The woman sighed and nodded.

"He didn't recognize you?"

Lenni shook her head.

"I used to write to Rob…but his letters stopped coming about six months ago," Lenni explained. "I remembered him writing about your job and figured you might be here."

The woman raised an eyebrow.

"I remember him saying his friends were detectives," she said. "Seems you still are."

"Yes I am," Lenni said proudly. "But now we've got a new mystery…about what happened to Rob."

The woman sighed again and stroked the bird.

"He was learning how to surf," she said. "But one of the boards hit him in the head…and he was unconscious for three days."

"Three days?" Lenni gasped.

Rob's mother nodded.

"We were afraid we were going to lose him," she said. "When he finally woke up…he couldn't remember anything."

Lenni clapped her hands over her mouth as Si gave a groan.

"Nothing?" he asked.

"Nothing," Rob's mother said. "Not us…not his friends…not even his own name."

Lenni shook her head, her eyes welling up. Elizabeth patted her on the back and looked at Rob's mother.

"Is that why he goes by Yankee?"

The woman nodded and gave a slight laugh.

"That was his nickname in Australia," she said. "His friends called him that since he was an American from New York…and were calling him that when he woke up. His father and I still use his _real_ name, but he will always introduce himself as Yankee."

Si scratched his head as the woman looked at Lenni.

"You must be Lenni Frazier," she said.

"Oh!" Lenni said. "I…I am."

Rob's mother sighed and nodded.

"It's all right, Lenni," she said. "You just mentioned that you were writing to him…and he would run home from school every day to ask if he got a letter from you."

Lenni blushed as Elizabeth giggled.

"Really?"

"But…Hector wrote to him too," Lenni said.

"Well yes," Rob's mother said. "But those came less often…and I don't believe Rob actually _knew_ this boy when we lived there."

"He didn't," Lenni said. "He only met Hector right when he was leaving. And he made him promise to write since Hector didn't get him a parting gift like the rest of us did. I was the one who was…well…his friend."

Rob's mother gave a sly smile.

"I remember," she said. "You called rather often…and he was always over at your house. But we never got to meet you."

"Right," Lenni said. "Rob…never invited us over."

"Well that was my fault," Rob's mother sighed. "I had a lot of schoolwork to do in the afternoons, so I told Rob he could stay out until dinnertime so the house would be quiet."

Lenni nodded as Rob's mother cocked her head.

"What brings you to London?"

"Oh," she said. "Well…do you remember Ms. Lewis from the youth center?"

"Of course," Rob's mother said. "She did the poetry workshop…and later opened a garden."

"Right," Lenni said. "She just married my dad…and Si and Elizabeth are her kids. We're here visiting them for the summer."

"You knew our mother?" Si asked.

"Not well," said Rob's mother. "My husband did though. He went to the poetry workshop a few times when Rob was reading."

"Back off Booger Bat!"

"Oh you hush," the zookeeper scolded.

"Rob really taught him _that_?" Lenni asked.

"Not intentionally," the woman said. "I had to take Calypso home for a while when he needed medical care…and let him sleep in Rob's room. He's the one who discovered that Rob talks in his sleep."

Lenni raised her eyebrows.

"He talks in his sleep?"

"Apparently," his mother said. "Thing is, we're not sure if this is something that started _after_ the accident…or if he was doing that before."

Lenni nodded, making a mental note of this as Si lifted a finger.

"What other symptoms does he have?" he asked. "Besides memory loss?"

"Well has a terrible lump on his head," his mother told them. "He always tries to cover it."

"That must be why he wears bandannas all the time," Si said.

"He'd wear them before too," Lenni said. "But…not _all_ the time. I used to tell him that he had _great_ hair and not to cover it up."

"Oh really?" the zookeeper grinned.

"What did he say to that?" asked Elizabeth.

"He said I _also_ had great hair," Lenni said, rolling her eyes. "And stole my hat! So I chased him all the way to the park and stole his bandanna."

The others laughed and Lenni sighed at the memory. It was right before Rob had returned to Australia and she had chased him to the big rock at the park. She managed to tackle him there and pulled the red bandanna from his head.

"Okay okay," he had laughed. "I guess you want to swap."

"Might as well," she had told him. "If you're leaving, I need to have a momento."

"Fine," he had said. "But only if I get to keep this one."

Lenni gave a sigh as she looked at Rob's mother.

"That was the last time I saw him…in New York," she said. "You guys went back to Australia the next day."

Rob's mother gave a sigh.

"I'm afraid that was my fault," she said. "We went there so I could do an internship in the wildlife sanctuary…and they offered me a permanent position."

"But…why did you move here then?" asked Elizabeth.

"To see a specialist in memory loss," the woman said. "The doctors in Australia recommended someone here in London for Rob's care."

"Is it helping?" Lenni asked.

"We think so," the woman said. "But it's going to be a _very_ long process. Rob can only handle a few memories coming back at a time…and he was sixteen at the time of the accident."

"Woah," Si said. "Sixteen years worth of memories?"

"I know," Rob's mother said. "And they really don't know what to do about him hallucinating."

Lenni gave a start as Elizabeth cocked her head.

"Hallucinating?" she asked.

"Yes," Rob's mother sighed. "He sometimes sees strange things…and it's always _words_."

Lenni had a sudden coughing fit and Si had to pat her on the back.

"I'm okay," Lenni said finally. "Um…words?"

"Yes," Rob's mother said. "Words asking him questions…and asking him to…write things."

Lenni's eyes grew wide as she gave a shudder.

"Erm…write…things?" she asked nervously.

"Yes," Rob's mother said. "I really wish that hadn't happened. Rob used to write all the time…and now he's afraid to write at all."


	3. Chapter 3

WHO ARE YOU? – PART THREE

Eileen Baker returned home that evening full of hope. She found her son asleep on the couch with her husband sitting next to him with a memo pad. The boy was muttering something while his father listened carefully and wrote it down.

"Anything interesting?" she asked.

"Quite a bit actually," her husband said. "Seems Rob ran into someone at the skate park. Came home all stressed and agitated about it."

"Well he did," Eileen sighed. "He ran into a girl from New York that he used to run around with."

Her husband raised his eyebrows.

"Was it Lenni?"

"Now how did you guess?"

"Everything he's been saying…is about her," he said. "You mean…she's here in London?"

"Yes," Eileen said. "Her father married Ms. Lewis from the youth center…and they're here visiting her family."

Rob's father nodded and rubbed his chin.

"Well I do remember Ms. Lewis being British," he said. "She married Lenni's father?"

"Yes," his wife told him. "And she has two children here. They were with Lenni when she found me at the zoo…fully prepared with a whole list of questions about why Rob didn't recognize her."

Her husband let out a laugh.

"One of the detective squad," he said. "No wonder he started writing mysteries."

Eileen smiled and stroked her son's hair as he muttered again.

"It's coming from…behind this fence…Lenni look!"

The boy's father nodded and wrote in the memo pad. His mother looked over what else was written there.

"You're right," she said. "Half of these…have her name."

"I'm thinking the other half are things he said to her," her husband nodded. "Although I have no idea of _when_."

"Well Lenni herself can shed some light on the subject. I invited her over tomorrow morning. Rob's appointment isn't until the afternoon…and I have the day off."

Her husband nodded as the boy suddenly started shaking.

"Run Lenni run! You got the list!"

The boy rolled off the couch, but his father caught him as he started panting and opened his eyes, looking at his mother.

"Oh," he said. "Hi Mom."

"Hi," she said. "Bad dream?"

"Huh?"

"You were yelling," his father said, helping him up.

"Oh," he said, flopping down on the couch again. "Was I talking again?"

His father made a face and wrote on the list before handing it to him. He looked at it with wide eyes.

"Lenni?" he asked.

"Yes," his father said. "Seems you remember her."

Rob blinked a few times.

"But…that's the crazy girl I ran into this morning," he said. "She said…she was my friend…from New York."

"She was," his mother told him. "She even found _me_ at the zoo to find out what had happened to you."

Rob did a double-take.

"How did she know you would be there?"

"Rob," his father smiled. "Your friends in New York were _detectives_. You were too. Lenni probably found the right clues to figure out where your mother was working."

Rob blinked again as he tried to clear his head, which was often difficult.

"But…but what's a New York girl doing here?" he asked.

"It seems she's visiting family for the summer," his mother said. "I invited her over tomorrow."

Rob did a double-take.

"What?"

"Rob," his father said. "She's an important link to your memories. She can help you and we have to take advantage of the fact that she's here."

"She's also sincerely worried about you," his mother said. "She noticed that you stopped writing to her after your accident…and wanted to know why."

Rob blinked again.

"I wrote to her?"

"We have a whole pile of letters to prove it," his father said, patting him on the back. "But let's take it easy for now. You don't want to do too much all at once."

"I'm fine, Dad…really," Rob said, shaking his head again. "Just…a little dizzy."

Rob's father handed him the list, which he took up to his room. He flopped down on his bed and looked over it.

"Lenni," he said, blinking again. "Lenni…"

* * *

Lenni finally managed to get away from everyone and went up to the room she shared with Elizabeth. She took out the casebook and wrote in it.

_Rob had an accident in Australia. He doesn't remember anything from before that. Not New York. Not the team. And not even you._

Ghostwriter lit up in alarm.

_Oh dear. No wonder he's afraid when I try to write to him._

Lenni nodded and wrote again.

_Try to hold back for now. I'll talk to Rob tomorrow and remind him who you are. That way he knows he's not just seeing things._

Ghostwriter swirled around and wrote again.

_Thank you Lenni. I miss him._

Lenni sighed and nodded.

"Yeah. I miss him too."

The next day, Lenni went to the address that Rob's mother had given her. While the others wanted to come along, Lenni said it might be too overwhelming for Rob. Si agreed and went to the skate park while Elizabeth went to visit Becky. Lenni nervously knocked on the door and gave a shy smile when Rob opened it.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," he said. "Uh…come in."

Lenni came inside as Rob closed the door and turned to her.

"Sorry if I was rude yesterday," he said.

"Oh that's okay," she said. "Your mom explained everything."

"That's what she said," he shrugged. "But…I still don't get _how_ you found my mother."

"It wasn't that hard," Lenni shrugged. "You wrote to me about your mom's job in Australia, which was at a wildlife preserve. I figured she would have a similar job here…at the zoo."

Rob raised his eyebrows and scratched his head.

"Dad said you were a detective."

"We were a _team_ of detectives," Lenni smiled. "And you were one too. You had a real knack for finding matching words."

"Matching words?"

"Right," Lenni said. "Like one time, a friend of ours was getting threatening letters. _You_ were the one who figured out they were both from the same person because of how they were written."

"Matching…words," Rob muttered. "Setting sun…Brooklyn Heights…Safira?"

"You remember Safira?" Lenni asked.

Rob shook his head.

"That was a dream I had last night," he said. "I was reading a letter…and saw another letter…with the same words. Then I called out something about…Safira's on the promenade in Brooklyn Heights. But I can't figure out…what it all means…"

Lenni's eyes grew wide.

"Rob…it's a _memory_," she said. "You really did that."

Rob looked at her as she held up a finger.

"Try to remember the dream," she said. "Where were you? Who all was there?"

Rob sat on the sofa and closed his eyes.

"I'm sitting backwards in a chair," he said. "I'm looking at letters…from an African guy…that had run away to New York. He was a painter."

"Right," Lenni said. "What else?"

"I…I look up," Rob said. "There's…a couple people on the sofa…someone sitting on the floor…and someone else who stood up. The last is a girl…with reddish hair…in a pony-tail. She's saying something…but the air is all…tense. Something's wrong…and I feel…uncomfortable. Suddenly someone on the couch blurts something out…and everyone else…agrees."

Lenni nodded as Rob blinked and looked up at her.

"It was you," he said. "You were on the couch."

"Yes," Lenni said. "Did you catch what it was I said?"

Rob sighed.

"I wish…you didn't have to move."

Lenni nodded and Rob looked at her again.

"So…I had just told you…I was moving?"

"Yes," she said, sitting next to him. "We were all at Tina's house. I was next to Jamal on the couch…and Tina was sitting on the floor. The girl talking was Gaby. We all felt uncomfortable because you had just told us that you were moving away to Australia."

Rob nodded as he blinked again.

"I found the matching letters…right after that," he said. "But…some guy came over first."

"Malenga," said Lenni. "He was the painter we were looking for…but now it was his sister missing."

"Safira," Rob nodded. "She was…the Asian girl's friend."

"Tina," Lenni said. "That's right."

"But…but we found her the next day," Rob said. "The little guy figured it out. She was in a storeroom at a hotel…that had changed names."

"Right," Lenni said. "That was Hector."

Rob nodded as Lenni bit her lip.

"Do you…remember any more?"

Rob shook his head.

"I woke up after that," he said, turning to face her. "But…I have a lot of dreams like this. Are you saying these things really happened?"

"Yes," Lenni said. "I guess…they come up when you're asleep."

Rob nodded again and grabbed a memo pad off the table, flipping to a page.

"Dad says I was talking in my sleep yesterday afternoon," he said. "He thinks…running into you…triggered something. Half of what I said had your name in it."

Lenni looked down the list and gasped.

"Hey yeah," she said. "In fact…these are all things…you said to me."

"They are?"

"Every single one," she said. "Your dad's right. You must have started remembering things you said to me after you saw me again."

"But…what do they mean?" he asked. "I mean…some of these don't make any sense."

"They do if you know the context," Lenni said. "Like…_Lenni! Sally! Look! I think they're dead!_ That was when you discovered the rabbits had died in the garden."

"Rabbits?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lenni said. "It was your job to feed the rabbits in the garden. But they died suddenly and you wanted to know why."

Rob nodded and closed his eyes again.

"Why do I remember…someone fainting?"

Lenni felt a tinge of excitement.

"That happened just before that," she said. "Gaby was digging in the same garden…and _fainted_. Then when the rabbits died, we knew something was wrong. We later found out what it was."

Rob nodded.

"Barrels," he said. "Big…smelly barrels."

"Barrels of poison," Lenni nodded. "You remember anything else?"

Rob opened his eyes and made a face.

"Phone calls."

Lenni had to think for a minute before she laughed.

"That's right," she said. "You were the one making all the phone calls, trying to get someone to remove the barrels. You called over twenty people before Officer Cole finally agreed to send a team out to the garden."

Rob nodded and laughed.

"Seems I was really annoyed by that," he said. "I felt…irritated."

"Well you _were_," Lenni said. "Everyone kept telling you to call someone else…and you kept getting put on hold."

Rob nodded and he got up.

"But then…_you_ got a phone call," he said, walking around. "Someone wanted you to meet him…but it sounded like a set-up. And I was…worried."

"Right," Lenni said. "The guy was whispering…and said he could give me information…but didn't leave his name."

"I was worried…that someone would hurt you," Rob said. "So I volunteered to go with you. We went to the corner…and some guy grabbed your foot. But it was just the guy we had talked to before."

"Momo," Lenni said. "He gave us quite a scare…but eventually he _did_ help us get information on who dumped the barrels in the garden."

Rob narrowed his eyes and smiled.

"The stage!" he said. "The reporter exposed the guy on T.V. We all had posters…and they dragged the guy off…and we all got on stage. Gotcha Mr. Miller!"

Lenni laughed.

"One of our greatest triumphs," she said. "I'm glad you remember it now."

Rob nodded although he was holding his head.

"Woah," he said. "He wasn't kidding."

"What?"

"Well…my therapist said that…if I remember the big things…the small things will fall into place," he said.

"Oh," Lenni said. "So…you're remembering other things now?"

"Yeah," Rob said, closing his eyes. "Making posters…talking to the guy in the store…taking a survey of people that got sick…and…"

Rob stumbled and sat on the sofa again. Lenni grew worried and patted his arm.

"What?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"I'm seeing things again," he said, shaking his head. "Words that fly...hanging in air..."

Lenni bit her lip and took his hand.

"Rob…it's okay," she said. "You saw that before too."

Rob did a double-take.

"I did?"

"We _all_ did," Lenni said. "But…it's something only we could see."

"What is?"

Lenni looked around carefully before whispering to him.

"Ghostwriter."


	4. Chapter 4

WHO ARE YOU? – PART FOUR

Rob stared at her and Lenni turned a page in the memo pad, writing on it.

_You can come out now._

"What are you doing?" Rob asked.

"Just wait…and don't freak out," she said.

Rob gasped as the words flew up into the air.

_Welcome back Rob! We've been worried!_

"Wait a minute," Rob said. "You mean…you see that too?"

"Yes," Lenni said. "So could our friends in New York…and so can a couple other kids here in London. But we're the only ones who can."

"So…what is it?"

Lenni sighed and then cocked her head.

"You kept a journal, right?"

"Well yeah," Rob said. "Dad's making me read all them from the beginning."

"You have the one from when you moved to New York?"

"It'd be in that box with the rest," he said, pointing. "But good luck finding the right one."

Lenni went to the box he was pointing to and shook her head.

"You really are a writer, Rob," she said. "There must be over twenty of these in here."

"I got another box up in my room," Rob said. "Dad says I started keeping a journal when I was eight…and only stopped when the accident happened."

Lenni bit her lip, remember that Rob's mother had mentioned that he had stopped writing. She looked in the box and saw one of the books was glowing.

"Ah," she said. "Must be this one."

"What?" Rob asked.

"Yep," she said, picking it up. "October of 1992 to September of 1993."

"Woah," Rob said, getting up. "How did you do that?"

"Ghostwriter did it," Lenni said. "He lit up the journal that I needed."

Rob looked at the book and saw it was glowing. Lenni opened it to the page the light was coming from.

_Monday_

_Today I started at Hurston Middle School. Ugh but I hate starting in the middle of the year. I spent half the day in the office getting my transcripts approved…again. But hey, this school has a computer room open until five. That means I can type up Josh and the Magic Goblet instead of writing it out by hand._

Lenni looked at Rob, who gave a shrug.

"Nothing rings a bell," he said.

"Well it does for _me_," Lenni said. "That's where _I_ went to school…and where I met _you_. That must've happened later on."

She turned a page and found another entry.

_Wednesday_

_Strange day today. A girl in a funny hat was trying to talk to me in Language Arts. I don't really feel like talking much yet, but she was kinda cute._

Lenni raised an eyebrow and looked at Rob.

"What?" he asked.

"That was _me_," she said, peering at him.

"Oh," Rob said. "I guess…you do wear funny hats."

"Uh huh," Lenni grinned. "You thought I was cute?"

"I guess," he said, looking at her.

Lenni blinked at him but he just shrugged. She turned back to the diary and kept reading.

_Then after school, I was printing off the next part of my story when this black kid comes in asking me questions. What is it with the kids here? I just want to be left alone._

"I don't seem to be very polite," Rob said.

"Well you weren't," Lenni said. "But…I guess it makes sense in context. You had just moved in…and you were kind of…shy. And that's just the beginning…"

Rob raised his eyebrows and Lenni read the next entry.

_Thursday_

_I am now convinced that the people in this school are completely bonkers. I was minding my own business, writing out the next part of my story, when this guy comes up to me out of nowhere and accuses me of…something. He's one of the kids running for school president, like I really care about that. Then he shows me a paper and I see that it's part of my story. What's this guy doing going through my stuff? He wouldn't say how he got it so I just took it and walked off. Left me angry the rest of the day. Maybe the computer room here ISN'T_ _safe to write my stories in._

Lenni let out a sigh and Rob frowned.

"Who was this bum stealing my stuff?" he asked.

"Alex," Lenni said. "And he didn't _steal_ it. He and Jamal noticed that you _dropped_ it."

Rob stared at her and she shrugged.

"You guys _did_ become friends later."

"I don't sound very friendly towards them _here_," he said.

"Well…it was rough start," Lenni said. "This was actually my birthday. Jamal and Alex came to my party that evening. Doesn't look like you wrote anything about English class though."

"I was probably still ticked off at that guy for taking my stuff," Rob said, crossing his arms.

Lenni paused and thought a moment.

"I _do_ remember that," she said, giving a nod. "I was in English…all excited about my party…but then you came in all angry and slammed your books down. I was uh…kind of afraid to look at you."

"That was probably my intention," Rob sighed. "I didn't need anyone else bugging me at the moment."

Lenni nodded and moved on to the next day.

_Friday_

_Okay, this whole school is like something out of a bad dream. I went back to the computer room after school, figuring I'd give it another shot. Soon as I walk in, I saw this swirling ball of green light. It then formed the words GOODBYE JAMAL_. _When I read what it said, I noticed the black kid was there and asking how I knew his name. Then HE looks up at the words and says, "You can see that?"_

_Okay, I'm pretty freaked out. But then the light shoots into my notebook and comes back out, this time spelling the words HELLO ROB! Now I'm SUPER freaked out. What is this thing and how does it know my name? I tried to touch it, but the words disappeared and I just kind of stood there for a minute. When I looked around, the black kid is gone. I guess he was a bit panicked by the words too._

Lenni gave a sigh as Rob looked at her.

"So…that's when I started…seeing that?"

"Yep," Lenni said. "Jamal left to call a rally."

"A what?"

"A rally," Lenni said. "He had all of us who could see Ghostwriter come to his house…and told us that _you_ saw him too. Alex in particular was pretty surprised."

"The guy that was all in my face?"

"Yeah," Lenni said. "But we told Alex that Ghostwriter wouldn't have written to you if it was _you_ doing the smear flyers. Then we asked Ghostwriter why he chose you…and he said…to ask you."

Rob blinked.

"But…that's what it said…to me," he said.

"It is?"

"Turn to Monday," Rob said.

Lenni nodded and turned the page to Monday, although she skimmed the weekend also.

"Seems you were trying to get your parents to move," she said.

"Well yeah," Rob said. "I didn't want to go to a school with a haunted computer room."

Lenni giggled and turned the page.

_Monday_

_No luck. Dad says I HAVE to go to school or I'm getting shipped off to a military academy. I guess I'd rather be in a place full of crazy people and aliens of some kind. I went back to the computer room to write about it. Words that fly. Hanging in Air. Maybe a friend? And guess what? The crazy thing showed up again! It said, "I am a friend, Rob." I asked who he was and he said, "My friends call me Ghostwriter." Then I asked how he knew my name and he said he read my poems._

_WHAT IS UP WITH PEOPLE READING MY STUFF?_

Lenni laughed at this and Rob shook his head.

"Seems I'm pretty touchy about that," he said.

"Well…you are," Lenni told him.

_At least when I said my poems were private, the thing apologized. Seems the apparitions around here are more polite than the people. I tried to ask it more questions, but he said to talk to Jamal. I was a bit nervous about this. Doesn't Jamal hate me?_

Lenni gave a nod.

"I see now," she said. "Ghostwriter told us to talk to you…and he told _you_ to talk to Jamal."

"Right," Rob said. "I guess Ghostwriter figured I knew who he was since he was there on Friday. I remember feeling…anxious…about doing that. But curiosity got the better of me."

Lenni nodded as Rob read from the journal.

_Anyway, I found Jamal at lunch. He was sitting with the other kid, who was trying to accuse me again and I was ready to sock him one. I guess Jamal's the level-headed one since he said they were just trying to figure things out. I finally let them see the story I was working on and the other kid apologized. He seemed to feel bad about it, so I forgave him. His name's Alex and he and Jamal see Ghostwriter too. Jamal was asking about the rest of the story. I guess I'll have to finish it now._

Rob cocked his head as Lenni took over reading.

_Ghostwriter showed up again, showing something to Alex, so he goes off "creep hunting." Jamal then told me that Ghostwriter is helping them find the creep behind the flyers. I guess I should be glad this ghost thing got me off the hook. Jamal says there's several girls that see him too, including Miss Funky Hat in my English class. Her name is Lenny._

Lenni glared at Rob.

"What?" he asked.

"Jamal didn't tell you I spell my name with an I and not a y," she said.

"His fault, not mine," Rob said. "Didn't I see you after that?"

"Um…it looks like you did," she said.

_I had English right after that and the girl asks me flat out if I'm Rob, the guy that's always in the computer room. I saw she had Harriett the Spy with her and I was tempted to tell her I was the Brooklyn version of the boy with purple socks._

Lenni laughed out loud as Rob scratched his head.

"The boy with purple socks?"

"From Harriett the Spy," Lenni said. "You had read that book too…and there was a boy with purple socks who was _new_ and didn't talk to anyone. Hence why no one knew his name."

"I do have that book," he said, blinking. "And…I asked if you were reading my stuff too."

Lenni nodded as Rob closed his eyes. He recalled walking into the room and the cute girl looking up from the book.

* * *

"Are you…Rob?"

"Oh don't tell me you're reading my stuff too?"

"Sorry. But Jamal only picked up something you _dropped_."

"I wasn't talking about him. I was talking about someone _else_ who was freaking me out in the computer room this morning! Seems this place is haunted..."

"Oh _him_. Well um…he's not limited to the school."

"No?"

"No. He's only limited to _words_."

"Words?"

"Right. He can't hear or talk, but he can read and write. I actually first met him in the park."

"The park?"

"Right here…in my songbook."

"People always talking about how the world needs to change…"

"No no no…like _this_…"

* * *

Rob gave a laugh as he opened his eyes and looked at Lenni.

"You were singing that song of yours before class," he said.

"Right," Lenni giggled. "You really liked it too…and we were friends after that."

Rob nodded and narrowed his eyes.

"Especially…when you guys needed a favor."

Lenni gave a grin and turned back to the journal.

_Tuesday_

_Wow these guys are good. It seems Jamal figured out it was this Calvin guy that's been smearing Alex, so he asked if I could talk to the guy's mother at this store to get some dirt on him. I wasn't sure, but then Lenni was asking me if I was going to do it in English class. I found I couldn't say no to her, so I went over there as soon as classes let out. I talked to this woman who NEVER STOPS TALKING and this parrot that TALKS EVEN MORE THAN SHE DOES! But hey, I got a MUDSLIDE on this kid to take back to Lenni and Jamal. That was a fun job. I wonder if they'll need my services again._

"Booger-bat."

Lenni looked up as Rob nodded.

"That's how I found out…about Calvin's booger-bat," he said. "And I would call him that."

"Yes you would," Lenni laughed. "We all did. Do you remember anything else about Calvin?"

Rob narrowed his eyes.

"I sure didn't like the guy," he said. "He…tricked me."

Lenni nodded and turned to the back part of the diary.

"That was in May," she said. "Around…here."

_A bad situation keeps getting worse. Alex and Lenni aren't speaking to each other and now I'm afraid to talk to either of them. Alex is so hot headed and Lenni isn't much better. Jamal keeps bugging me to do something about it, but he doesn't understand. I want so badly to be there for Lenni. To comfort her. But if I do that, Alex is going to accuse me of taking sides and the fight will get even worse._

Lenni blinked and looked at Rob.

"Is _that_ why you were avoiding the fight?" she asked.

"You tell me," Rob shrugged. "What fight is this?"

"Well…I was fighting with Alex and Gaby because their dad and my dad had a traffic accident," she said, peering at Rob. "And Alex _was_ being hot headed at the time…and said a lot of things he didn't mean. But I was pretty unreasonable too."

Rob gave a blank stare and she sighed and continued reading.

_Later on, Ghostwriter showed up in the computer room. But he looked strange for some reason and said "I'm not myself today." But he looked fine when I wrote to him later. And he flat out told me I was the one leaving my friends, not the other way around. And I knew he was right. I went to the bodega and even got Tina to come with me, but everyone wound up shouting at each other again. What's to become of us? Will we ever be a team again?_

_I don't know what to do. No one is listening. Just when I find the greatest friends I've ever had, just when I find a girl I'm actually comfortable with, THIS happens. Maybe I was better off alone._

Lenni stared at the journal, rather stunned. She looked over at Rob, who cocked his head.

"Did this fight ever get resolved?" he asked. "Or did we give up?"

"Oh we resolved it," Lenni said, peering at him. "Mostly thanks to _you_."

She quickly turned to another page.

_Oh how the tables have turned. I got a note in my locker today from Ghostwriter. Since when does he have to write notes beforehand? I showed it to Jamal and he said the REAL Ghostwriter is disappearing because of the fight. We finally wrote out a note to the others to get them to stop fighting. We found them all in the park having an even bigger fight, which turned out to be a dirty trick. I figure it was played by the same person who left the fake note, which is bound to be Calvin._

_I had to shout everyone down, but we finally got the note passed around. And it worked! Lenni and Alex shook hands and Gaby and Tina are still best friends. Then we went back to Jamal's and admitted all we did wrong to bring Ghostwriter back. Now all we have to do is solve the case so Max and Mr. Fernandez make up too. But now that the team is back, I'm sure we can do it._

Rob blinked and nodded.

"But we had to take care of Calvin first," he said.

Lenni looked up at him and he nodded.

"Calvin left another note…and I met him after school," he said. "He wanted to make a new team…and use Ghostwriter to make money."

Rob then looked at Lenni.

"But you and Alex were right there," he said.

"Yep," Lenni grinned. "Calvin didn't know the team was back together. He found out Ghostwriter's name…but that's about it."

Rob sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"And it was all my fault."

Rob closed his eyes as Lenni sighed and put the journal aside. She then turned to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It wasn't _all_ your fault," she said. "Calvin tricked you."

Rob swallowed and nodded.

"But then…that was a good thing," he said, narrowing his eyes.

Lenni raised her eyebrows.

"How?"

Rob blinked and picked up the journal, turning the pages. He finally found the right entry.

_Saturday_

_We're just about ready to head for Australia for Mom's internship. I sure wish I could spend the summer with the team, but I'm not sure how it would all go with Ghostwriter gone. I wanted to get a separate travel journal for the trip, so I went to The Party Animal to get one._

Lenni stared at Rob who closed his eyes again. He recalled going to the store and the creepy kid behind the counter talking to him.

* * *

"Please tell me it's true that you're leaving."

"What's it to you if I am?"

"You're gonna miss all the fun. I'm spending my summer hanging out at the pool and checking out all the babes. I'll bet _Lenni _looks nice in a swimsuit…"

"Calvin..."

"Oh ho. So that rumor is true _too,_ is it?"

"I'm warning you, Calvin..."

"You haven't told her, have you?"

"Now you listen to _me_, Booger-bat. You _will_ stay away from Lenni Frazier...or so help me I will come down on you so hard, it will make the Thunderheads look like a troop of girl scouts!"

"Is that a _threat_?"

"You bet it is. And don't go thinking that just because I'm not around, I won't know what you're up to."

* * *

Rob opened his eyes as Lenni noticed the last line in the journal entry.

_After all, Calvin doesn't know that Ghostwriter is gone._

Lenni stared at Rob, but he just blinked and cocked his head.

"Oh yeah," he said. "Ghostwriter went somewhere."

"Well…yeah," she said. "I had to write to you about it since you were in Australia. But he was back by the time you came back…and said you were leaving for good."

Rob nodded and turned to September.

_Tuesday_

_I write this on the plane as New York disappears from the window. The only place I've ever lived that really felt like a home. I know we owe it to Mom to finally let her have a career, but did it HAVE to be in Australia? Just when I finally have friends I can count on, do we have to be moving AGAIN?_

_I miss them already. Jamal and Alex, that nosy pair from the cafeteria. Tina and Gaby, the spunky kid sisters I never had. And Lenni. My best friend. My companion. And the only girl I could ever be close to. And now she'll never know what she means to me._

Lenni stared wide-eyed as Rob looked at her.

"Wow," he said. "Seems I really liked you."

"You…you did," Lenni said, blushing slightly. "Just…you never _said_ anything about it."

She glared at him as he blinked again and looked at the journal.

"Looks like I never got the chance."

Lenni gave an exasperated sigh.

"You didn't," she said. "You moved away. I mean…you wrote letters. But then those stopped coming too."

She then frowned as she looked at him.

"And I really _really_ wish I knew if you still feel that way."

Rob gave her a look.

"Well I wish I could tell you," he said. "But I kind of don't remember any of this."

Lenni gave a moan as Rob shook his head. He then bit his lip and looked at her again.

"But…maybe there's a way to find out."

Lenni peered at him.

"How?"

Rob swallowed as he came closer and put an arm around her. He gave a nervous look as she realized what he was going to do.

"Rob…"

"Do you want to know?" he asked.

Lenni took a deep breath and swallowed.

"Yes."

He nodded as she closed her eyes. She felt his lips press against hers. It was rather cold and unfeeling, but then he kissed her again. And again. Lenni's breath quickened, as she felt something like a spark, as his lips kept touching hers over and over. He put his hand on her face and kissed her more firmly, as if he really wanted to. And she kissed him back, the spark growing warmer between them.

"Please Rob," she whispered to him. "Remember me."

Rob sighed and kissed her again. This time she could definitely feel it returning. The way she would feel when she was with him before. The tingling that came when he would tease her. The tremendous comfort of being close to him. The terrible grief when he was far away, with only words to send to her. But then he suddenly stopped and she opened her eyes.

"ROB!"


	5. Chapter 5

WHO ARE YOU? – PART FIVE

Rob Baker groaned as he opened his eyes. He found himself in a darkened room with a terrible throbbing in his head. He really wished he could go back to sleep, as he had been having a wonderful dream. He had been kissing Lenni Frazier, an old friend who was now more beautiful than he had ever dreamed. And she finally knew everything he had been hiding from her.

Rob sighed, as his eyes adjusted to the dark room. He frowned, as it wasn't his bedroom. In fact, it seemed to be a hospital room. Why would he be in a hospital room?

"Oh right," he said to himself. "I was surfing…and I think…someone hit me with their board. It was probably Brad. Probably got a concussion again."

Rob decided the throbbing in his head was good evidence for this theory. After all, it was similar to the concussion he had before, although that had been the result of being hit by a Chinese vase and didn't really show any symptoms until several days later. He could distinctly remember how embarrassed he was when his friends told him he had passed out in gym class.

"Roberta Halton must have hit you harder than we thought," Alex had told him. "Maybe next time you should listen to Gaby."

"Alex!" Lenni had scolded.

"No no," Rob had sighed. "Alex is right. I should've listened to Gaby instead of pretending to be Stone Harrison."

Rob smiled at the memory, as he could still feel Lenni's soft hands stroking his hair. She was definitely his favorite among his new friends. And he was starting to entertain the idea of something more than that, although he was still rather hesitant to do this. After all, he still wasn't _absolutely_ certain that his family would remain in one place.

"Turns out I was right," he muttered. "Here I am…in Sydney. And she's eight thousand miles away."

Rob then blinked as the light switched on and a nurse came in. She gave a start and turned to someone in the hallway.

"He's awake!"

Rob raised his eyebrows as his parents came in, looking frazzled and worried. They hadn't looked nearly this worried last time he had a concussion.

"Are you all right?" his mother asked. "Was it too much? What was Lenni telling you?"

"Huh?"

"Easy there," his father said, turning to Rob. "Rob…what's the last thing you remember?"

"Um…before waking up in here?"

"Yes."

"I was surfing," Rob said. "I think I got hit by a board. Did I get a concussion again?"

His parents stepped back, their eyes wide. Rob scratched his head and then winced.

"Oh that smarts," he said.

"You…you remember that?" his mother asked.

"Huh?" he asked. "Of course, I remember it. Bet you anything it was Brad."

"It was actually Peter," his father said. "But um…that happened…six months ago."

Rob sat back with wide-eyes.

"Six months ago?" he asked. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Well…you've only been out for a few hours, Rob," his mother said. "But…oh dear…"

"Robbie," his father said patiently. "Do you…remember who you are?"

Rob made a face.

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Just…tell me what you know about yourself," his father said.

Rob gave a shrug and crossed his arms.

"I am Robert Alexander Baker, a U.S. Airforce brat who's lived on every base across the country," he said. "I currently live in Sydney, Australia and I write stories and poetry and regular letters to Lenni Frazier and Hector Carrero. I go to the North Sydney School for Boys, which I have to get to by skateboard and I would really _really_ like to get a car or at least transfer to a school that does not require _uniforms_. I hang out with Cole Miller, Brad Hughes, Peter Philips, and Michael Johnson, who like to call me _Yankee_ even though I find it very annoying. Anything else?"

Rob wondered why his father was smiling and his mother was gaping at him.

"That's fine, Rob," his father said proudly. "Now get some rest. We're going to have a talk with the therapist."

* * *

It was some time before the door opened again. Rob had found a T.V. and remote and was flipping through the channels.

"Why is everything BBC at this hospital?" he asked.

He looked over and saw a strange man in a white coat with his mother.

"Erm…have you told him where he is?" the man asked her.

His mother shook her head and Rob peered at them.

"What're you talking about?" he asked.

The man nodded to his mother, who left the room.

"Let's start from the beginning," the man said, sitting in chair by his bed. "I am Dr. Crankshaw, a specialist in memory loss. I've been taking care of you for the past four months. And it seems that now you have completely _forgotten_ the past six months, although you now have the rest of your long-term memory."

Rob raised his eyebrows.

"Come again?"

"Rob," the doctor said patiently. "Six months ago, you had a surfing accident."

"Right," Rob said. "I remember that."

"Well," the doctor continued. "After that accident, you lost your memory. You could not remember your parents, your friends, or your own name."

Rob raised his eyebrows.

"You mean…I forgot _everything_?"

"Yes," the doctor said. "Your parents brought you here so I could help you get your memory back."

"Here?" Rob asked. "Where exactly is…here?"

"London."

Rob's eyes grew wide.

"I'm in _London_?"

The doctor smiled and nodded.

"You were recommended to me by the doctors in Sydney," he said. "You have been living in London for the past four months."

Rob sat back and thought about this.

"Well moving again _never_ surprises me," he said. "But good grief. This time it was _my_ fault."

"It was an accident, Rob," the doctor said. "No need to blame yourself."

Rob peered at him as he looked at a chart.

"Now we've been trying to introduce your memories back _slowly_," he said. "But it seems there was an incident this morning with one of your friends that brought everything back all at once, which I was trying to avoid."

"Oh," Rob said. "So…I remember everything now?"

"Everything but the past six months," the doctor said.

"That's better than sixteen _years_, Sir."

"This is true," the man chuckled. "Although you are now _seventeen_, Rob."

"Aw shoot," Rob said. "I missed my birthday?"

"You've simply forgotten it. You had a nice party with some friends here in London."

"I _have_ friends here?"

"You do. Or rather _Yankee_ does. You took on a new name when you forgot your old one."

"Oh for…and I went by _Yankee_?" Rob grimaced. "I _hate_ that name!"

"Really?"

"Brad called me that since I'm American…and had a funny accent," Rob frowned. "Then they _all_ started calling me that."

"Well you're going to have to do some adjusting," the doctor said. "The friends you have here do not know Rob Baker, but only this Yankee fellow who had no memory…and actually spoke with an _Australian_ accent. Rather ironic that you now speak with a New York accent…and no longer wish to be called Yankee."

Rob nodded but then narrowed his eyes.

"But…you said it was one of my friends that brought all of my memories back."

"Yes it was."

"How?" Rob asked. "How could one of these guys do that…if they never knew me before?"

"Oh it wasn't one of them," the doctor said. "Your parents say it was a friend of yours from New York, who happens to be in London for the summer. She recognized you yesterday, but you did not recognize her."

"Her?" Rob asked.

"Yes," the doctor said. "A Miss Lenni Frazier."

Rob almost fell out of the bed.

"LENNI IS HERE?"

"Yes," the doctor said. "She's right outside in fact. She spent a good hour or so explaining what happened this morning to make you pass out."

Rob stared at him with wide eyes.

"I was…I was with Lenni…when I passed out?"

"Yes."

Rob swallowed, finding this even more embarrassing than passing out in gym class in front of Alex. The doctor then gave a smile.

"Would you like to see her?" he asked.

"I um…"

"There's no pressure to," he added. "Lenni will understand if you're a bit too overwhelmed at the moment."

Rob nodded, as he was finding everything overwhelming. But this was exactly why he wanted to see someone who was familiar.

"I'd like to see Lenni, please," he said. "Privately."

The therapist nodded and went outside. Rob ran his hand through his hair and sat with his feet over the side of the bed. He looked over as Lenni came in, looking rather nervous.

"Rob?" she asked.

"Hey Lenni," he smiled. "Are you a sight for sore eyes."

Lenni smiled and came over to hug him.

"Oh you're back!" she cried. "You remember me!"

"Oh come on," he said. "How could I forget about you? You're one of the greatest friends I ever had."

"I know," Lenni said, sitting next to him. "But you _did_ forget. You totally forgot everything!"

"That's what they told me," Rob sighed. "Am I really in London?"

"Yes," she laughed. "You moved _again_."

"Oh I believe _that_ part," he said, rolling his eyes. "But why are _you_ here?"

"My dad _finally_ married Sally," Lenni said. "We're here visiting her kids."

"Oh right," Rob nodded. "Sally _was_ British. So she's like…your _mom_ now?"

"Well…sort of," Lenni said, making a face. "I just call her Sally though. It's still kinda…weird."

"Yeah," Rob nodded. "Not remembering anything from the past six months is kind of weird too."

Lenni laughed as she hugged him again. Rob raised his eyebrows, as she was almost crying.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," she sighed, clinging to him. "It's just…it was so awful."

"What was?"

Lenni sighed and touched his face with a finger.

"Seeing you…and talking to you," she said. "And you didn't know who I was."

Rob's eyes widened as she shook her head.

"Rob…it was worse than you leaving," she said. "I mean…you were right there in front of me. But you didn't remember me…or New York...or the team."

Rob swallowed hard.

"Did…did I remember…Ghostwriter?"

Lenni sighed and shook her head again.

"He was so worried about you," she said. "You wouldn't write to him anymore…and the doctors thought you were hallucinating. And you stopped writing all together."

"What?" Rob frowned.

"I know," Lenni sighed, sliding her finger through his hair. "But you didn't know who Ghostwriter was…and he scared you. So you stopped writing completely."

Rob stared at her. He never dreamed that he would ever stop writing.

"So…so I didn't keep my journal?"

"Nope."

"And I didn't…write to you? Or Hector?"

"No," she said. "We were wondering why your letters stopped coming. Hector thinks you were abducted by aliens."

Rob sighed and shook his head.

"I'll have to send a postcard then," he said. "He might be surprised to get one from here though."

"As long as he gets _something_," Lenni said. "I uh…sent Ghostwriter to New York…to let the team know you were here."

Rob swallowed.

"Did you tell them I lost my memory?"

"I just told Ghostwriter to explain what happened," she said. "And also that you got it back."

"Most of it anyway," he said. "How did that happen?"

Lenni swallowed as he looked at her.

"What?"

"Well um…the doctor said…if you remembered big things…the small things would fall into place," she said.

"Oh," he said. "So…I must've remembered something…big."

"Yeah," Lenni blushed. "Something…pretty big…and significant."

"So what was it?"

Lenni hesitated and Rob noticed she was trembling. He couldn't imagine why she would be so nervous and took her hand.

"Please Lenni," he said. "Please tell me."

Lenni sighed as she shyly looked at him.

"You remembered…me," she said.

"You?"

"Yes," she said. "And how…you feel about me."

Rob stared at her and realized what she meant. He felt his face grow hot and closed his eyes.

"Oh boy."

"Rob…it's okay," she said.

"Lenni…"

He looked up at her as she touched his face again. He found tremendous comfort in her soft fingers, but his heart was racing at the thought of her knowing it.

"But…I never said…"

"I know," she said. "I…we…it was in your journal."

Lenni lowered her eyes as Rob gasped.

"You were reading my _journal_?"

"Oh please don't be angry," she pleaded. "You were right there with me. I just…I needed it to help you remember."

Rob closed his eyes and nodded. Yes, it did make sense that his private writings would be key to his memory. And he didn't want to be angry with Lenni. But he couldn't help but feel terribly embarrassed.

"I'm sorry Rob," she whispered. "I just…I didn't know."

Rob felt her gripping his hands with her fingers and gave a deep sigh.

"How much did you read?"

"Not everything," she said. "Just…the week you met Ghostwriter…how Calvin tricked you when we were all fighting…and when you left for Australia."

Rob bit his lip and nodded again, but couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"I just…I had to know, Rob," she said softly. "I needed to know…if you were still feeling that way. So you…you kissed me."

Rob gasped as his eyes popped open and he looked at her.

"I _what_?"

Lenni took a deep breath.

"You kissed me, Rob," she said, gripping his hands again. "And I kissed you _back_. And your love for me was strong enough to make you remember everything else."

Rob stared at her, not believing what he was hearing. He blinked a few times as he tried to clear his head, but everything was swimming and he felt dizzy. He finally closed his eyes in an effort to stay upright as he felt Lenni wrap her arms around him. He rested his check on her hat and let her hold him, finding tremendous comfort in her arms. After a while, he felt her stroking his hair as she whispered to him.

"I'll…let you get some rest now," she said. "I need to see if…if Ghostwriter is back yet."

Rob bit his lip and nodded. He opened his eyes and met her gaze and she gave a shy smile. She then gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek before she got up and left the room. Rob closed his eyes and touched his cheek.

"Woah."


	6. Chapter 6

WHO ARE YOU? – PART SIX

That evening, Rob felt out of place as he looked around his room. It was larger than the one he remembered in Australia and the furniture was completely different. While his books and clothes were the same, nothing was neat and orderly like he normally kept it and he spent a good part of the evening putting everything in place. He then had to do a good amount of digging to find his notebooks and the journal that he had been writing in.

"Good grief," he said, putting everything on his desk. "Lenni wasn't kidding."

Rob sighed as he sat down and took out the yellow notebook. He bit his lip as he opened it and wrote.

_Are you there, Ghostwriter?_

He let out a sigh of relief when the ball of light appeared and wrote back to him.

_Hello Rob! Welcome back!_

Rob nodded and wrote again.

_Thanks._

He then wondered how much Ghostwriter knew of the situation and looked at the page again.

_Lenni told me that you remember everything now_.

Rob smiled and wrote back.

_All but the last six months. I just wake up and suddenly I'm in London._

Ghostwriter glowed and wrote back.

_How do you feel?_

Rob shook his head.

"It's just…so much all at once," he said. "I'm in London…I've lost six months of my life…and Lenni's here. And she…she knows everything. And I _kissed_ her."

Rob sighed and wrote again.

_Overwhelmed._

Ghostwriter flew over the message and wrote back.

_Take it one day at a time. Lenni is here to help you and so am I._

Rob smiled and nodded before closing the notebook. He then took out the journal and saw the last date he had written in it. He gave a sigh and wrote in it.

_Saturday, December 14 – Wednesday, July 28_

_On Saturday, December 14, 1996, I was hit in the head with a surfboard and lost my memory. I am told that two months later, I moved to London, England to see a specialist in memory loss. But on Wednesday, July 28, 1997, I woke up in the hospital as if from a dream. I remember the surfing accident, but nothing that occurred afterwards. I saw my parents and the doctor and they told me what had happened. I also found out that Lenni is here and she was the one that brought my memory back._

Rob gave a sigh as he thought about Lenni. How happy he was to see her. How embarrassed he was to learn she had read his journal. And how confused he was to learn that he had kissed her, which was how his memory had returned. He swallowed hard as he wrote again.

_She tells me that I kissed her. She says my love for her brought me back. It was a strong enough memory to bring back everything else. I can't deny this. I know full well how much I love her. But I'm so scared that she knows it now. Will our friendship survive this?_

Rob closed his eyes, as this was the reason he had never said anything before. After all, she was his friend. And they were only twelve when he had lived in New York. But now he was seventeen. And she _clearly_ wasn't a child anymore. He could still feel her arms around him and her gentle kiss on his face.

_You kissed me, Rob. And I kissed you back. And your love for me was strong enough to make you remember everything else._

Rob swallowed, hardly believing he had actually heard those words. He closed the journal and was going to go to bed when he heard the phone ring. He paused and heard his father answer it in the other room before calling to him.

"Rob! Phone for you!"

Rob sighed and got up, going into the living room. His father smiled and handed him the phone.

"It's Lenni," he said.

Rob bit his lip and nodded as he took the phone.

"Hey Lenni."

"Hey Rob. How are you feeling?"

"I'm uh…still a little overwhelmed by everything."

"I'll bet. I just spent over an hour telling my family how you got your memory back. Then Becky calls so I had to spend _another_ hour explaining it to _her_."

"Who?"

"Well do you remember how Jamal came to London and had a case?"

"Oh yeah. He wound up getting tied up on the Isle of Dogs. Reminded me of the Steadmore Hotel for some reason."

"Well Sam and Becky were the two kids he met at that time."

"Oh yeah. And they were able to see Ghostwriter too. So you met them?"

"Of course. And you did too. You've been playing football with Sam for a while now."

"I played _football_?"

"As in soccer."

"I know that. It was football in Australia too. But what's up with me doing sports all of a sudden?"

"Well you were like…a completely different person. You didn't write…and you played sports…you had an Australian accent…and your name was Yankee."

"I _hate_ that name."

"Sorry. I had to tell Si that he can't call you that anymore. He never knew what your real name was."

"Who's that?"

"Si and Elizabeth are Sally's kids. Si went skateboarding with you a lot."

"I took up skateboarding again?"

"I guess. Seems you lost interest in it when you were in New York."

"Well solving cases was a lot more interesting. And how was I supposed to walk you home if I was going to ride ahead on a skateboard?"

"Oh is _that_ why you stopped using it?"

"Might as well fess up," Rob sighed. "You know everything now."

There was silence on the other end as Rob swallowed hard.

"Are you…mad at me?" Lenni asked.

"No," Rob said quickly. "I'm just…I'm…scared."

Rob bit his lip as Lenni sighed.

"But why? Why were you so afraid to tell me?"

"Well…you're my friend. I didn't want to lose that. And I was so far away anyway so…I just didn't think it would matter if…I didn't."

"But it _does_ matter, Rob. You're just as much my friend now as you were when you lived in Brooklyn. And I really…I care about you."

Rob's eyes grew wide.

"You…you do?"

"I always did."

Rob swallowed and nodded.

"Rob," Lenni said softly.

"I'm still here. I'm just…I don't know…"

"It's okay," she sighed. "I mean…it's a little overwhelming for me too. But uh…I'll come by tomorrow…if you want."

"Yeah," he said. "That uh…that would be great."

* * *

Lenni was on pins and needles as she rang the bell at Rob's house. He opened the door and gave a shy smile.

"Hey Lenni," he said. "Come on in."

"Thanks," she said.

She followed Rob into the living room, where she saw his journal was lying open.

"What were you doing?"

"Oh I just…thought I'd read some of the old stuff," he said, picking up the journal. "Some of it's pretty funny."

"Really?" she asked. "Like what?"

"Well this part is about how you were yelling at me for throwing markers everywhere," he said.

Lenni gave a laugh.

"That's right," she said. "I came back from calling Sally…and the markers were all over the room."

"And you wouldn't let me go home until I picked all of them up," he said.

Lenni giggled and then paused. She cocked her head as she looked at him.

"Did you do that on purpose?"

Rob sighed and nodded.

"Yeah."

"Even then?"

"Of course," he said, giving a shrug. "I mean…I didn't plan on ever _saying_ anything…but I wanted to be alone with you."

Lenni nodded and narrowed her eyes.

"But the Star Jam was after that," she said.

"Well yeah," Rob said. "But you might recall that I was a little bit _busy_ that week…writing an article on the track team…clearing Victor Torres…getting beaten up by a gang…"

"I suppose," Lenni sighed. "And I was _directing_ the Star Jam…so I was kind of busy too."

Rob nodded as he flipped a few more pages. He then let out another laugh.

"What's that?" Lenni asked.

"Oh…just the whole Galaxy Girl thing," he said.

"Is that the part where Brett Pierce was chasing us down the hallway?"

"Not quite," he said. "This is the part where you were keeping Alex from punching my face in. Man I had a big mouth."

"Oh I know," Lenni said, crossing her arms. "You were eating my dad's dip right before that."

Rob looked up at her.

"That was the same day?"

"Yes," she said. "Don't you remember?"

"Must not have written it down," he said, looking at the journal. "Having Alex on my case kind of made me forget about it."

Lenni smiled as she walked over to him.

"Well I sure didn't forget that," she said. "It was then that I started wondering if you liked me…which is um…one reason I didn't want Alex beating you up."

Rob sighed and nodded.

"I would've deserved it," he said.

"Rob…"

Rob bit his lip and looked at Lenni, who sighed as she drew closer to him. She rather timidly look his hand as he put the journal down.

"Why Lenni?" he asked. "Why do you put up with me?"

"Rob…you _know_ why," she said. "You just…you really need to _believe_ it."

Rob swallowed as Lenni gazed at him. She put her free hand behind his head, gently nudging him closer as she closed her eyes. She felt him put his other arm around her, but he was also shaking.

"Please Rob," she whispered. "I love you."

Rob breathed hard, but Lenni held back and waited for him. She sighed when at long last, she felt his lips brushing hers. And then he kissed her again…and again. Lenni smiled to herself as this time she didn't have to wait for the spark. It was already there, and even stronger than it had been before.


	7. Chapter 7

EPILOGUE

A year later, Lenni stood with her father and Sally at the airport, bouncing on her heels as they waited at the arrivals gate. Jamal Jenkins was with her also, laughing and shaking his head.

"Easy there, Lenni," he said. "It's going to take a while for them the get through customs."

"Never knew you to be so excited about seeing Si," Sally said.

"Or uh…Becky Wentwood," Jamal grinned.

"You _guys_," Lenni whined.

"We know," her father smiled. "In fact…I think I see an orange bandanna over there."

Lenni gasped and tried to look over the crowd.

"Oh…why do I have to be so short?" she frowned.

"At least the Pink Guy isn't," Jamal said.

Lenni finally spotted the tall young man wearing the orange bandanna. He was laughing with her step-brother and the blond was walking with them. But all of them were pushing carts full of luggage, so her parents and Jamal went to help them. Si embraced his mother while Becky blushed and greeted Jamal. But Lenni ran and jumped in Rob's arms, kissing him fully on the mouth. Becky gasped as Jamal nodded.

"I _told_ you," Jamal said.

"Oh all right," Becky said. "You win."

"Good," Jamal said. "Now then. When can I pick you up for our _date_?"

"Easy Jamal," Si said. "She's gonna need some time to recover from jet lag."

"And we got to get everything over to NYU," Becky said.

"That won't take so long," Jamal said. "How's Friday night?"

"That'll do, I suppose," Becky smiled. "I suppose Lenni's going to have a date too."

"I think she's on _her_ date right now," Jamal said.

They all laughed as Lenni hadn't let go of Rob and didn't hear one word of the conversation.


End file.
